Ostomy appliances and wound drainage devices, hereinafter collectively referred to for brevity as ostomy appliances, generally include a bag or receptacle for collecting bodily wastes discharged from a surgically created stoma. The bag is connected to a substrate in the form of a pad or surgical dressing which is in contact with the patient's skin and surrounds the stoma.
The lower end of the ostomy appliance typically has an opening through which waste accumulated therein may be discharged. When the ostomy appliance is in use, the opening is closed off so that waste can be accumulated within the receptacle. When the appliance is full, the closure is removed and the waste can then be removed from the ostomy appliance. Thereafter the ostomy appliance can be cleaned and reused.
Various ways have been proposed for closing and then reopening the opening in an ostomy appliance. For example, L. Berger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,490 discloses folding the lower end of the appliance upon itself and then securing the fold by, for example, a clasp.
P. E. Riely, U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,320 discloses an ostomy appliance using a Velcro type of closure to fold one portion of the end upon itself to thereby close the opening.
M. C. Frank, U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,739 discloses the folding of the lower end of the ostomy appliance upon itself and securing the fold by means of tape, paper clips and the like.
L. J. Mattson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,977 discloses a closure for an ostomy appliance in which the lower end is folded upon itself and then secured by a semi-rigid strip affixed to one of the walls comprising the lower end of the appliance.
L. Fenton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,359 discloses a closure clamp made of a flexible plastic having a centrally located winding portion and a pair of closure wings. The wings may be folded to overlie the winding portion.
R. Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,833 employs a stopper to close off the opening in an ostomy appliance.
A. Ballan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,343 discloses a closing device including a reinforced plastic strip which is connected to the ostomy appliance.
K. L. Loveless, U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,693 discloses an ostomy appliance in which a removable clip assembly is used to close off the discharge opening when the ostomy appliance is collecting waste.
Closure devices of the type described above are disadvantageous because a) they require carefully articulated movements in order to close the opening, b) are expensive or cumbersome to produce, c) form an enlarged region in the closed position that can cause discomfort to the patient, d) are usually detectable and are therefore undesirable from the patient's perspective and/or e) do not always provide a continuous seal which can result in the emission of odors from residual waste fluids.
It would therefore be a significant advance in the art of producing ostomy appliances to provide a closure mechanism which can be readily and conveniently manipulated by the patient, is inexpensive to produce, provides a thin profile when the ostomy appliance is in the operable position for collecting waste and which substantially eliminates the problem of odors from residual waste.